Supergirl’s MPA Rating Is In — DCU Movie Packs Strong Violence

Warner Bros. and DC have finally let slip the official rating for their upcoming Supergirl movie, so if you were hoping to take the kids along without awkward questions about broken jaws and cigarette smoke, here’s what you need to know. Bit of a heads-up: it’s not quite the Camp Krypton adventure of decades past.

Not Your Mum's PG: MPA Goes PG-13, With a Twist

The Motion Picture Association has stamped Supergirl with a cheerful PG-13 — what a shocker. Standard stuff for DC really, but here’s where it gets a tad punchier. The classification actually cites ‘strong violence’, which, even by superhero standards, means a few more bruises than the Saturday morning cartoons offered up. You’re also getting the usual suspects: ‘action, language, and smoking’. So you might finally see a chain-smoking, sweary villain alongside Supergirl’s knuckle sandwiches.

Where It Sits on the DCU Spectrum

To put it in perspective: this is only the second new DC Universe film to get a PG-13 (the first was Superman: Legacy). Elsewhere in the DCU, things are getting even more heated — James Gunn’s upcoming Clayface already looks to be R-rated if Gunn’s own comments are to be believed, so Supergirl splitting the difference makes a sort of sense.

DC’s clearly taken a fancy to darker, slightly more adult themes lately, at least compared to the days when Batman’s greatest risk was tripping over his own cape. See: Peacemaker, Lanterns and the aforementioned Clayface. The new regime isn’t shying away from a bit of rough-and-tumble.

Gritty Kara Takes the Lead

Recent footage shown off at fan events and trade presentations has teased some fairly hefty action set pieces. Don’t expect Kara Zor-El floating around all innocent. James Gunn said right from the announcement that this Supergirl would be ‘a little more hardened’ — fair, when you consider she’s watched her original home vaporise. The producers swear her on-screen violence won’t actually surpass Superman’s flare for fisticuffs, so DC must still have one eye on the younger crowd.

So, What’s the Story?

This film is adapting Tom King’s graphic novel, Woman of Tomorrow. That book took Kara Zor-El out on a proper cosmic road trip straight from the ashes of Krypton, delving into the moodier bits of her psyche. She’s teamed up here with:

• Krypto (the superdog who, let’s be honest, is always a crowd-pleaser),
• Ruthye Marye Knoll,
• Jason Momoa playing Lobo — which ought to be chaotic, in a good way.

Milly Alcock is stepping into the suit as Kara herself. Alongside her, you’ve got Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem of the Yellow Hills (if you’re not a comics obsessive, yes, that’s his real name), Eve Ridley as Ruthye, David Krumholtz playing Zor-El, Emily Beecham as Alura In-Ze, and Ferdinand Kingsley as Elias Knoll. If you’re keeping count, that’s a nicely random cross-section of decent British, European and American talent.

Behind the Camera and What Comes Next

The film is being directed by Craig Gillespie — yes, the bloke behind I, Tonya — from a script by Ana Nogueira. DC Studios’ co-chief Peter Safran recently went full salesman, telling anyone who’ll listen that this movie will prove ‘superhero fatigue’ is a myth. Audiences: you can decide whether that’s optimism or wishful thinking. There’s already a bit of internet sniping going on over some of the choices, but what else is new for superhero launches?

Oh, and after all this, Supergirl is supposed to swing back for a team-up with Superman in the next film, Man of Tomorrow, which is already filming. That sequel, for anyone marking their calendar, will see the Man of Steel go toe-to-toe with Brainiac. Bit more lasers, bit less space horse riding.

Supergirl is set to hit UK cinemas on 26 June 2026.